86 THE president's address. 



The grants to other literary and scientific institutions amounted 

 to $14,800; of which $750 went to you, $4,800 to the Provincial 

 Observatory here, $2,400 to the Observatory at Quebec, $500 to 

 that at Kingston, and $500 to that at Isle Jesus. I may observe, 

 also, in connexion with these grants to Observatories, that the 

 Legislature has made provision for records being kept of meteor- 

 ological observations in every county through means of the grammar 

 school teachers. 



The Provincial Observatory at Toronto was established by the 

 British Government twenty-five years ago, as one part of a 

 scheme which has been admiringly characterised by high authority 

 as *' the most gigantic scientific enterprise that had ever been con- 

 ceived." The scheme was organized by the British Government 

 through the united influence of the British Association and the 

 Boyal Society; but other European nations immediately took an 

 active part in it. To carry it out. Magnetic Observatories were 

 simultaneously established by governmental authority, at an enor- 

 mous but not useless expense, at many points in Europe and 

 America ; and the number of well endowed Meteorological Ob- 

 servatories throughout the world has greatly increased since. 

 Some years ago the Observatory here was assumed and amply en- 

 dowed by the Canadian Government, and substantial buildings were 

 erected for its use. The very great value of the observations made 

 here has received the emphatic and repeated testimony of the 

 highest scientific authorities of other countries, as well as of our 

 own. I refer to this matter with all the greater interest because 

 the advantages which the Observatory contemplated were not local 

 or even immediate. It is only yi connexion with observations else- 

 where that those made here are very important ; and whatever 

 benefit they afford, other countries must partake of quite as much 

 as Canada can ; and it is even future generations, rather than our 

 own age, that may reap their principal fruits. 



So, again, I ought to refer to the Geological Survey of the country ; 

 for both our Geological Survey and our Provincial Magnetic Observa- 

 tory are named with satisfaction wherever science is cultivated and 

 knowledge esteemed. The Survey was instituted by the Provincial 

 Government soon after the union of Upper and Lower Canada, and 

 has been carried on steadily ever since. By the act first passed on 

 the subject, the sum of $10,000 annually, for five years, was set apart 



